RELEASE: New CAP Action Analysis: Republican-Controlled Congress Spent Billions on Tax Cuts for the Rich While Leaving Roads and Bridges in Disrepair

New CAP Action analysis looks at the state of failing roads and bridges in 26 districts where Republican members of Congress prioritized tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires over fixing critical infrastructure.

Washington, D.C. — During the 2016 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump promised to invest $1 trillion in infrastructure but failed to act beyond rolling out a much-maligned blueprint built on unrealistic assumptions, faulty math, and privatization. Instead, Trump and congressional Republicans used precious governing power to jam through billions of dollars’ worth of tax cuts for the richest Americans and wealthy corporations, leaving thousands of roads and bridges in disrepair.

New research from the Center for American Progress Action Fund offers a district-by-district analysis of the state of roads and bridges in the metro areas around 26 districts where Republican members of Congress prioritized tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires over fixing critical infrastructure. In many of these metro areas, roads and bridges could have been repaired for less than the cost of the tax cuts that went to just the top 1 percent wealthiest residents in the state.

“The American Society of Civil Engineers has said we need at least $2 trillion over the next 10 years just to bring our infrastructure up to a ‘B’ grade. President Trump and congressional Republicans pretended to care about infrastructure but chose instead to jam through huge tax cuts for the top 1 percent,” saidAndrew Schwartz, policy analyst of Economic Policy at CAP Action and co-author of the analysis.

“Congressional Republicans’ priorities are clear: plenty of cash for corporations and CEOs but nothing to repair the roads and bridges Americans use every day,” saidJesse Lee, vice president for Communications at CAP Action and co-author of the column. “And one round of tax cuts wasn’t enough with congressional Republicans, since they’re currently focused on trying to pass even more tax cuts for the rich—a total travesty given the urgent need to invest in our infrastructure.”